title: Impulsive and compulsive behaviors among Danish patients with Parkinson's disease: prevalence, depression, and personality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dopaminergic medication administered to ameliorate motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease is associated with impulse control disorders, such as pathological gambling, hypersexuality, compulsive buying, and binge eating. Studies indicate a prevalence of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease of 6-16%.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of impulsive and compulsive behaviors among Danish patients with Parkinson's disease and to explore the relation of such behavioral disorders to depression and personality.
  
  
  METHODS
  490 patients with Parkinson's disease (303 males), identified through the National Danish Patient Registry, were evaluated with: 1) the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease; 2) the Geriatric Depression Scale; and 3) the NEO-Personality Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  176 (35.9%) patients reported impulsive and compulsive behaviors sometime during Parkinson's disease (current symptoms in 73, 14.9%). Hereof, 114 (23.3%) reported multiple behavioral symptoms. Patients with behavioral symptoms were significantly younger, were younger at PD onset, had longer disease duration, displayed more motor symptoms, and received higher doses of dopaminergic medication than patients without behavioral symptoms. Furthermore, they reported significantly more depressive symptoms and scored significantly higher on neuroticism and lower on both agreeableness and conscientiousness than patients without behavioral symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A history of impulsive and compulsive behaviors are common in Danish patients with Parkinson's disease and have clinical correlates that may allow identification of patients at risk for developing these behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Denmark. Electronic address: buhl@pet.auh.dk.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Callesen
authors.affiliation: Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weintraub
authors.affiliation: Unit for Psychooncology and Health Psychology, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Damholdt
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET-Centre, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Møller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003625:Data Collection; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Depression; Impulse control disorders; Parkinson's disease; Personality